DENVER – Idaho junior men’s tennis player Marius Cirstea earned
the Western Athletic Conference men’s tennis Athlete of the Week honors Monday
after a demanding three matches over the weekend.

Cirstea, a junior from Bucharest, Romania, went 2-1 at No. 1
singles and 1-1 at No. 1 doubles last week, as the Vandals went 1-2 as a team.
Cirstea defeated Missouri-Kansas City’s Nino Hasandedic 6-2, 6-1, in his first
match on Saturday, while adding a victory in doubles play during the first dual
of a doubleheader. In the second dual of the day, he fell 7-5, 7-5, in a tight
match vs. Oregon’s Alex Rovello in singles. Cirstea rebounded on Sunday,
dropping Portland’s Michael HuKwo, 6-4, 6-7, 7-6, in No. 1 singles.

“His match at No. 1 against University of Portland really
shows the mental strides that Marius has made especially after the very
physically demanding weekend of tennis he had already had,” Idaho coach Jeff
Beaman said.

The honor is the first of the season and second of his
career for Cirstea. The No. 56 Vandals will return to action when the visit Gonzaga
on Feb. 3.